pluginaustin

Austin Kick Off

Dear Friend,

Please accept this invitation to join the Austin City Council and other community leaders like yourself on Monday, August 22, at 11:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall as we kick-off Austin’s Plug-in Hybrid Campaign. Together we will show a unity of purpose as Austin leads the way to a cleaner, brighter future.

Our future, as Austin’s leaders and numerous others across America believe, would benefit from the integration of the electric and transportation sectors. For economical, environmental, and strategic reasons we are encouraging automakers to go beyond their already popular hybrids and to develop and produce “plug-in” hybrid electric vehicles. Such vehicles would have a larger battery capacity; an all electric operating range of at least 35 miles; and the option of being plugged into a standard 120-volt outlet for recharging. Plug-in hybrids would achieve greater gas mileage at a much lower cost than current hybrids.

Some automakers have already announced their intention to produce a hybrid for all models by 2012. We want to demonstrate to automakers that a national market already exists for the plug-in hybrid, for reasons including:

Economic: Plug-in hybrids will benefit consumers through lower fuel costs – we estimate an “electric equivalent” of a gallon of gas will cost well below $1.00. Also, while the infrastructure for the “hydrogen economy” has not been built, the electrical delivery system already exists.

Environmental: Using plug-in hybrids will result in net lower emissions, especially if vehicles are recharged with renewable energy sources. We envision Austinites driving to work in plug-in hybrids charged overnight by energy from West Texas wind turbines.

Strategic: Political leaders, countless organizations, and innumerable individuals are seeking alternatives to increasingly expensive foreign oil; and this is a quick, near-term solution toward reaching the critical goal of energy independence.

For more information on this event, please contact Lisa Braithwaite at 512-322-6511. To find additional information about these vehicles and our local and national efforts, please access our website at www.pluginaustin.org.

On August 22, please join us to kick-off the plug-in hybrid campaign and help Austin set the example for the nation. I look forward to working with you on this important endeavor.


Regards,

Will Wynn
Austin Mayor
Chair, US Conference of Mayors Energy Committee

posted by AE @ 3:33 PM